Car-coupling



(No Model.)

0. H. SMITH.

GAR COUPLING. Nd. 560,439. Patented May 1-9, 1896.

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ANDREW EGBAHAM. PHOT0-LITND.WA8HINUTDN. DA

CHARLES H. SMITH, OF BIRMINGHAM,

PATENT 'FFron,

ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH SAFETY COUPLER COMPANY, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,439, dated May 19, 1896.

Application filed August 6, 1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. SMITH, of Birmingham, in the county of J eiferson and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in car-couplings of the J anney type, and has for its object to provide additional features of improvement for the car-couplings for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me on March 19, 1895, No. 536,052, which improvements will simplify the constructionof said patented coupling and render the same more effective in service.

To these ends my invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a partly-sectional plan view of the improvements substantially on the linev 1 1 in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view essentially on. the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved coupling, showin g parts of the same in relative positions for connecting with each other; and Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the detached knuckle of the car-coupling, showing a feature of improvement thereon.

The car-coupling shown and described in the said Letters Patent No. 536,052 will first be briefly described, and afterward the present improvements will be located therein and fully explained. l

A draw-head 10 is formed on an integral draw-bar 11, preferably by casting said parts together, the draw-head being widened and chambered, as at 12, for the reception of the knuckle 13, that is substantiallyL-shaped, having a lateral limb 13 and a rearwardlyextending tailpiece 13 The knuckle is pivoted at the front of the draw-head between the parallel upper and lower ears 10, so that the tailpiece 13 may have one side edge of Serial No. 558,420. (No model.)

the same in contact with a side wall of the draw-head chamber and enter an ear 13, formed on the rear of the tailpiece within a lateral recess'10 in the said wall, as shown in Fig. 1, the latch jaw or link 13 then projecting toward the other side of the draw-head.

A horn 10 is formed on the draw-head and is concaved on its front wall to facilitate the coupled engagement with the latch-jaw 13 of a knuckle on a similar coupling, and the horn is cast hollow to lighten it, its inner wall extending longitudinally rearward in alinement with a similar wall of the draw-bar 11. AboX- like formation 10 is produced on the upper portion of the draw-head 10, having a cavity 12, that is an extension of the cavity 12, the rear wall of said portion 10 being substantially vertical and its forward wall indented to produce a concave recess 12 as shown in Fig. 3, and this is one feature of the improvement. The cavity 12 in its rearward portion has opposite channels 12 formed in its side Walls, which loosely receive transverse trunnions 14 formed on the rear end of the limb 14, which projects rearwardly from the gravity-block 14:. The gravity-block 14. is sub stantially L-shaped, having an upwardly-extending member whereon two spaced hooks 14: are formed and which bend forwardly and downwardly. The gravity-block has such a proportionate width as will permit it to rock between the straight inner wall of the horn 10 and a side edge of the tailpiece 13' when the latter is adjusted to enter its car 13 in the recess 10 of the draw-head side wall, and

it will be seen that when said parts are adjusted, as indicated in Fig. 1, the gravityblock 14 serves to hold the tailpiece from swinging and retains the latch-jaw 13 pro- 0 jected toward the horn 10.

A lifting-bar 15 is provided, which is by its improved construction curved edgewise a suitable degree, and on the upper end of the lifting-bar an integral cap-piece 15 is formed, 5 which is a feature of improvement. The lifting-bar 15 is furnished at its lower end with'two opposite lugs 15, that are curved on their upper sides so as to engage with the spaced hooks 11 and adapt the bar for lifting to) the gravity-block. The length of the liftingbar 15 is such as will allow the gravity-block ing produced at the top of the box portion 10 by the extension of the cavity 12 through said upper part of the draw-head body, and the shape and size of the cap-piece permits it to seal the opening mentioned when the block let is completely lowered,'as shown in Fig. 3.

By the formation of the cap-piece 15 integral with the lifting-bar 15 the cost of the latter is considerably reduced and the construction of the car-coupling correspondingly simplified, and as such a formation of parts requires that provision be made for connecting the lugs 15 with the hook 14 the concave recess 12 is produced in the front wall of the part which will enable the ready introduction of the lugs below the hooks, if the block M is elevated and the lifting-bar is introduced, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

A rock-shaft 16 is transversely and loosely supported on the end wall A of the car, and on said shaft, directly above the car-coupling, a rock-arm 17 is mounted and affixed, so that the free end of the rock-arm may be loosely connected by links 18 or other means with the cap-piece of the lifting-bar 15, whereby a partial rotation of the rock-shaft by an attached crank-handle 19 will elevate the gravity-block 11, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The tailpiece 13 is sloped on its upper face from near the pivot-bolt 13 of the knuckle to the ear of said tailpiece, which will permit the tailpiece to swing below the gravity-block 1t and the latter to rest on the ear when the knuckle is in open adjustment,

as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and an ear 1i is formed on the front of the gravityblock at its lower edge to aid such an engagement of parts. It has been found of advantage to provide means for automatically swinging the tailpiece toward the side wall of the horn 1O when the rock-shaft 16 is manipulated to lift the block 14., and to this end a plate-spring 20 is furnished, which is another feature of improvement. The spring 20 has a lateral toe a turned at an angle from its body at one end of the same, and the body is bent to curve it, as shown in Fig. 5. An elongated recess 1) is produced in the edge of the tailpiece 13 of the knuckle 13, which in service is nearest to the side wall of the drawhead having the recess 10", and said recess near the perforation for the pivot-bolt of the knuckle is deepened to produce a pocket for the reception of the toe a of the spring 20. A preferably integral keeper-bar c is formed transversely of the recess 1) near the joint perforation of the knuckle, and below said bar the elongated recess that is bridged thereby has a depression formed in its bottom, as

clearly shown in Fig. 5.

It will be seen that by the described construction of parts the curved plate-spring 20 may be securely connected with the tailpiece 13 by introducing the end of the spring having the toe to below the bar a and pushing the spring toward the pocket at the end of the recess 1), so that the toe will spring into the pocket and the plate-spring be retained in position over the recess by means of the keeperbar, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 5.

When two cars having the improved couplings are to be coupled together, it is only necessary to push said cars toward each other, if the knuckles of the couplings are adjusted, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, as the impinge of the latch-jaw 13 of one knuckle 13 on the tailpiece of the other knuckle will instantly swing both of the knuckles into coupled engagement in an obvious manner, the gravity-blocks 14 dropping into locking position when the tailpieces of the knuckles have assumed the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1. In case one knuckle of two approaching draw-heads is in locked condition and the other one in opened adjustment, the coupling of the draw-heads may be produced by the impact of the latch-jaw of the closed coupling on the tailpiece of the open coupling, as willbe readily understood 5 and should both the car-couplings have their knuckles in locked conditionone must be released to permit a coupled connection to'be effected, which release may be safely effected by manipulating the crank-handle 19, which effects the elevation of the block 1 1 and permits the spring 20 to throw the tailpiece around under the gravity-block.

It will be seen that the details of construction constituting the features of additional improvement add to the efficiency of the coupling shown and described in my aforesaid Letters Patent No. 536,052, and also cheapen the production of said car-coupling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a car-coupling, the combination with a chambered draw-head having an upward extension of said chamber and a concave depression in the front wall of the said upward chamber extension, of a pivoted spring-actuated knuckle, a pivoted gravity-block provided with hooks on its upper end, the said gravity block being adapted to hold the knuckle in the closed position, and a curved lifting-bar having lugs on its lower end adapted to engage the said hooks 011 the gravityblock, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling of the Janney type, the combination with the knuckle having an edge wall of its tailpiece longitudinally recessed, the said recess having a pocket at its end nearest the knuckle-pivot, and a keeper-bar across the recess, of a curved plate-spring having a toe and interlocked with the pocket and keeper-bar and normally projecting the free end of the spring away from the tailpiece of the knuckle, substantially as described.

3. I11 a car-coupling, the combination with a chambered draw-head having an upward extension of said chamber, and a concave depression in the front wall of said upward chamber extension,ofapivoted gravity-block, cupies the concave depression in the wall of and a curved lifting-bar, having an enlarged the chamber extension, substantially as de- IO cap-piece on its upper end and two opposite scribed.

lugs 0n 1ts lower end, sald lower end being CHARLES E SMITH adapted to enter the chamber extension and engage its lugs with hooks on the upper end Witnesses: of the gravity-block, when said block is ele- JNO. FARMER, Vated and the lower end of the lifting-bar oc- D. JORDAN. 

